Hole I' the Wa', Aberdeen 1903

Curator: "Hole I’ the Wa’, Aberdeen," created by James McBey in 1903. It's an etching. Editor: It’s a remarkably somber scene. Even the texture evokes the heavy chill of stone. What is it about those old bridges that makes everything feel so burdened by time? Curator: Bridges, throughout history, act as connectors but also demarcations. Think of the Roman bridges—straight lines of power through the natural world, but here, the texture almost swallows any symbolic sense of connection with the urban life on top. Instead, McBey is drawn to what’s underneath: a still, sheltered place. Editor: Yes! It almost feels like an underworld, doesn’t it? A refuge, perhaps, a place to escape the modern world. Look how stark that building is underneath, it's so solid. I find myself peering in there... Curator: Notice how McBey positions the light, though. That building pulls you into the shadows. We also see light flickering along the stonework. Light represents understanding or revelation, while darkness…conceals. Editor: Right. So this "hole" in the wall, that building almost glows, suggesting that shelter comes at the cost of seeing... or knowing everything. A tempting exchange! I imagine a secret meeting taking place. Curator: Intriguing… This sense of liminal space links back to bridges across various cultures. Often, bridges symbolically represent journeys—the space between the mundane and the transformative, or, to borrow an idea from myth, from our conscious to the less well understood unconscious parts of our nature. Editor: McBey offers up more than just scenery. His landscapes become invitations, maybe even tiny dare. Come this way… away from all you think you know. He definitely captures something enduringly captivating about this ancient passage. Curator: Yes, that the material world holds meanings beyond their immediate physical function. Editor: Something to think about as we step out of this gallery...and back across our own metaphorical bridge.